The SeeD she loved
by Slain.the.Panda
Summary: ....


Final Fantasy VII: Alternate Storm

Chapter one: The SeeD She Loved

We had just completed the field exam for SeeD. As we waited back in Balamb for the results. I could hear faintly hear Seifer and his comrades arguing with Zell behind me. I could make out that it was about the Dollet mission earlier today, but I was trying to ignore the two of them. I walked away trying to get their childish behavior out of earshot when I heard someone call my name.  
"Squall, where are you going?" I turned to see Quistis standing there in the SeeD uniform holding a clipboard and eying me with an odd look. "Don't you want to hear if you made the cut"  
I replied to her in my usual fashion, "I had to get away from those two"  
"Always the lone wolf?" a slight smirk crossed Quistis' face as she said that. "But surely even you are dying to know if you passed the field exam." I merely shrugged. She walked up beside me and gave me another look, this one as though she wanted to get something off her mind.  
Like maybe something had happened after we arrived. Despite my indifference I could almost feel as though a tiny part of me was worried.  
I dismissed it as a sign of fatigue, or maybe feeling I owed her for saving my life earlier. After a moment Quistis looked down and walked away, but paused to say one more thing, "If you pass, meet me on the balcony of the party room. consider it an order from your instructor." As she spoke that nagging feeling of concern surfaced again.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"Please. If you pass just meet me there ok?" At this point I knew something was on her mind. Something she wanted to tell me. But why me?  
After all, I'm the most introverted person in Balamb. I'm probably the last person anyone would want to tell their problems to. Yet here she was,  
asking for me to meet her at a party I wasn't really wanting to go to anyway.  
"Ok. I'll see you there," I don't know why I said I'd be there.  
even I couldn't believe I'd said it. Quistis looked at me one last time,  
with a slight smile on her face before walking off at a brisk pace. I swear I don't get women. One minute looking upset, then the next all happy go lucky. Time's like this I'm grateful to be a guy.  
I walked backed to the waiting room just in time to hear my name being called off from the list of passing candidates. Zell, judging from his leaping up and down like a frog on adrenaline must have also passed the field exam. Suddenly I felt a strong slap on my back. I arched my head already well aware of who had done it.  
"Well how about that? Looks like the two of us passed the exam"  
Seifer said smiling in his usual pompous way. I jerked sharply to make some distance between the two of us. He continued with his boasting, "Yep I gotta admit, even I'm surprised I passed. Usually the Garden frowns on disobedience, but I guess they have sense to respect a superior judgment"  
Oh how I wanted to punch that loudmouth right now. Only the fact that I had other things on my mind kept me from actually doing it. I decided to go to the training area and let of some steam on a few of the plant creatures running around there instead of on Seifer.  
I must have spent the better part of the day in training, because when I Left I had barely enough time to shower and change for the party.  
Plus the Garden People had moved my stuff to a single room and no one bothered to tell me. So logically I arrived at the party in a less than pleasant mood. The massive bash was in full swing when I arrived, music and an aura of good feeling permeated the whole place. The feeling almost made me ill. I gazed over the room indifferently, the only things worth noting were; a very hungry Zell devouring the food at the snack table,  
Raijin and Fujin leaning against a wall trying to look cool, and amid the sea of dancers something that surprised even me. There was Seifer, dancing with a girl. She was an attractive young girl with dark hair. Although she must have had some sort of mental problem if she was dancing with Seifer.  
They danced quite well which surprised me because I always thought Seifer had two left feet. I walked down away from the dance floor, and even though I knew no one cared one way or another whether I was even at this party. I still felt like everyone was watching me. I never liked public events so why should this one be any different?  
I grabbed a drink of some sort from one of the waitresses that walked by and went to the balcony. A cold breeze blew across me as I waited for Quistis. It felt good to be outside, I felt as though I were away from everything and everyone as I looked over the balcony edge to the ocean. The stars were out and soon a fireworks display would begin to commemorate the new graduates. I suppose a person might find these moments to be romantic, or ideal for a date, but not me. I prefer to be away from people, away from their inane problems and concerns. I couldn't help but smirk at thinking this. Because here I was, Not because I wanted to come,  
but because Quistis asked me to.  
As if on cue she leaned against the balcony beside me. She was in her everyday wear, although her face seemed to show the concern over what ever was on her mind from earlier today.  
"bout time you arrived," I remarked rather coldly, even for me.  
"I'm sorry you had to wait. Some last minute things came up," Quistis replied softly. she turned around gazing into the elated party going on without us. Not so much for her interest I think, but to give her something to talk about other than what was on her mind. "Did you see Seifer dancing with that girl in there? Even I didn't think he had it in him"  
"So you made me come to this party just to tell me that. Well if that is all you wanted to say can I go?" As I said this she looked back at me, she still seemed upset about something though she tried to hide it from sight.  
"No, that is not why I wanted you here, " she took a deep breath and her gaze seemed to peer right into my soul. I averted my eyes from hers. "I'm no longer an instructor here. Even though all of you passed I'm being reprimanded for Seifer's disobedience"  
"Why did they even pass him at all then?" I asked.  
She lowered her head to look back over the balcony "I don't know,  
but it was an order from headmaster Cid himself so no one argued about his passing into SeeD. Oh Squall I don't know what to do, I enjoyed teaching so much and now I'm just a normal SeeD like you." she turned to me once again, and I could see there was something else she wanted to say to me.  
"I loved everything about teaching," she sighed lightly, "still there was one bad thing about being a teacher"  
"what was that?" I asked as she seemed to be leading up to something.  
"An instructor cannot be in a relationship with a student," for some reason she wouldn't look at me as she spoke this.  
"What are you dating a student?" I replied, slightly annoyed. Her batting around whatever she wanted to say was getting on my nerves.  
"NO! I'd never have done such a thing. I wouldn't have compromised my job for love," She paused for a moment as if to make sure she wanted to say what she wanted to say. "But I am in love with a student in Balamb. I thought it wouldn't happen, but it did. And since nothing else has gone right lately, all I have left is the hope that maybe he'll return my feelings," she smiled lightly as she finished. Not much of a happy smile,  
but more of a failing hopeful smile.  
I looked at her still a bit annoyed. I did not come to this stupid party just to hear of teacher student forbidden love from a girl I usually took for somewhat normal. "So tell the guy already. I didn't come her to be your matchmaker." She took my hand and cast a face at me as though I had missed something in the conversation.  
"Squall, you don't understand. The person I'm in love with..." She tensed up. clearly this was very hard for her to admit to anyone. "...is you"  
To say I was surprised was an understatement. I jerked back and looked at her shocked. To think someone would love me was just impossible.  
surely this is all some cruel joke. "Surely this is just some joke your playing, right?" I barely managed to speak those lines as she kissed me on the lips. I'd never been kissed until that point. Which seems sad I suppose, but given my disposition not much of a shock. She looked deeply into my eyes. She was very upset from losing her teaching position. Maybe she felt I was the only good thing left to hope for. Maybe she hoped that I harbored the same feelings for her. The funny thing was, I wasn't so sure I didn't right then. I gently pushed her away. "Quistis this isn't like you"  
She seemed to be squeezing one hand with the other, maybe she was fighting back and urge to cry. "Squall please, I've lost the job I wanted most in life without any hope of returning to it. The only good thing that could come of this is you. Please tell me you feel the same way for me"  
I was unable to speak. She wanted an answer I didn't have. Why couldn't I just utter a smart mouth remark to make her hate me for being a jerk? Why did I now suddenly seem to care how she felt? Why was her standing there upset making my stomach feel weird. Why am I thinking about this so much? All I could do was stammer out, "I don't know, I just don't know"  
I think I had just destroyed what little hope she had. Quistis walked away from me, slowly at first but by the time she reached the door to the party she was running full force. I also thought I heard her crying as she did. I could do nothing except stand there and watch her run off.  
But I couldn't escape one nagging question, Why was this bothering me so much? 


End file.
